The Future for Biodiversity in Queensland Tim Low , consultant, for the Department of Environment & Resource Management (Queensland)
“The rainforest trees in this study showed maximum growth at temperatures (28–30+ °C ) higher than the annual maximum temperature of their warm limit (16–31 °C … This is consistent with many tree species in the Northern Hemisphere showing their greatest growth rates at or beyond the warm limits of their distributions” Acmena smithii
Onthophagus macrocephalus Nothofagus above 900 m + 1 low site
Management Implications Conserve upland forests on fertile soils Replant winter fruits for bowerbirds Remove competitors Manage Fraser Island as a climatic refuge Be cautious about corridors Question translocation
Bertya Burmannia sharpeana disticha Eucalyptus pachycalyx Climatically Incoherent Distributions Lindsaea Pseudanthus repens ligulatus
Atalaya Bertya Lophostemon collina sharpeana confertus
Feral Goats Gamba Grass Fire
“the majority of species occupy small discrete regions defined by very narrow temperature ranges… If they are to survive they must migrate” - Tim Flannery, The Weather Makers “Extensive local speciation among major tree species in Australia (ag. Acacia and Eucalyptus ) reflects in situ persistence rather than widespread distribution changes” - Michael Dunlop and Peter Brown, CSIRO
Drought near Winton, 2005
Lophostemon confertus
Dead Ironbarks near Aramac*
Some Lessons learned: Northern Hemisphere paradigms reduce management options Priorities and goals should reflect Australian ecological realities Species distribution models should not replace ecological analysis Historical narratives are needed
Report: Queensland Climate Change & Biodiversity Commissioned by the Department of Environment & Resource Management Images courtesy of Bureau of Meteorology, CSIRO, Queensland Herbarium, Queensland Museum, Jon Norling, Brett Taylor
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